Inquirer City Hall Staff

Mayor Nutter today refused to condemn last night's apparent case of vigilante justice, where Kensington residents seized and beat a man wanted by police in connection with the rape of an 11-year-old girl.

"I do not generally condone what someone might consider vigilantism out in our streets, but it’s indicative of the anger and the compassion that many of our citizens have," Nutter said. He went on to call the episode a "demonstration" of the fact "that Philadelphians care passionately about this city, about our quality of life and certainly about our children."

"I think we need to maintain our primary focus on the young girl who was viciously assaulted. There is no place in this city for that kind of behavior and our thoughts and prayers should remain focused on her and her family," Nutter said.